Three-Year Effort Saves Sumner Lake

On the Lake Cavanaugh Road, there is an exquisite and peaceful place called Sumner Lake. You may know it because of its unusual floating island, locally called “the barometer” that floats back and forth depending on the wind direction. You may know it because of the many waterfowl , frogs and songbirds who reside there. You may know it because its pristine nature says what this part of Skagit County is all about – nature close to home and heart.

Skagit Land Trust has saved this lake after three years of work. Skagit Land Trust has purchased 20 acres and holds a conservation easement on another 7 acres of lakefront property. The Trust will manage all the land within the project area as a natural area. Hundreds of acres of surrounding lands, including the rest of Sumner Lake, are managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Over the years, Sumner Lake had been owned by a series of private landowners who kept it in its natural state. Several years ago the property changed hands. The new owners bought the land to develop it as waterfront properties. They submitted preliminary plat maps to the County, drilled two wells and put the property on the market.

The news that Sumner Lake was at risk was brought to Skagit Land Trust’s attention by local citizens. Through conversations with botanists and wetland specialists, the Trust knew that they had an opportunity to protect something special – a very unusual lake that contains low-elevation bog habitat – a complete, unusual ecosystem. “Once staff visited this unique property, we fell in love with it” says Jane Zillig, land specialist for Skagit Land Trust. ”Not only is the area surrounding the lake visually beautiful, it is also an important site to conserve given the rarity of these plant communities in our county. The network of wetlands adjacent to the lake connects to streams that flow into the Nookachamps basin. These wetlands offer many benefits such as wildlife habitat, floodwater storage, water purification and ground water recharge.”

The sensitive habitat, inventoried by the Native Plant Society, is home to plants such as Labrador tea, western swamp laurel and bog cranberry. Birds breeding at Sumner Lake include the Hooded Merganser and Wood duck. Sightings include Pygmy and Barred Owls, Western Tanager and many songbirds. The curator of arachnids from the Burke Museum said 27 species of spiders are found in this general area, 7 of which are bog-dependent.

Yet the process of saving the lake got bogged down itself. The landowners were receptive to the Trust’s purchase offer but it soon became apparent that it would be a long road to get there due to the parcel’s configuration, a county road, county subdivision rules, and cost. Each time the Trust thought they had figured out a way to save the lake, the idea hit a dead end. Finally, late in 2010 Skagit Land Trust and the landowners identified and agreed to a solution. The Trust raised funds to complete the purchase. Sumner Lake was saved.

But perhaps this unusually complex purchase is simply in keeping with its past as Sumer Lake has a colorful history and namesake. Andrea Xaver, of Big Lake, writing a column for the Lake Cavanaugh homeowners association poses the question, “What do an old-time bootlegger, a forgotten cedar mill, a “neighborhood” floating island, and frogs have in common? Why, a lake called Sumner, of course!!”

“Gus Sumner, according to local lore, was both a County Commissioner and a pre-eminent bootlegger– his whiskey being of high quality and readily available. Sumner Lake remains – perhaps looking much like it did in pre-settlement days. Also remaining is the floating island – once a raft of cedar logs that held a mechanism that parbuckled the cedar logs off the railroad cars which came to the mill. Over time, moss, grass and a few trees began to grow on the raft and turned it into an “island.” Prevailing winds still take the island from one end of the lake to the other.”

The protection of the lake would not have happened without people’s generosity and concern. The Trust received help from members, neighbors, partner organizations, foundations, and a US Corps of Engineers program that directs fund to protect and restore wetlands after fines have been levied elsewhere in the watershed. Thank you to all our members and supporters who helped make this project happen.

Although the Trust now owns the property, we are still raising stewardship and management funds for this beautiful place. Due to the delicate nature of the site, the Trust’s future plans for this property may include development of a low impact boardwalk or viewing trail that protects sensitive habitat. Meanwhile, Sumner Lake and its floating island is easily viewed from a vehicle as it lies right on the Lake Cavanaugh Road. As one neighbor said “I just love driving by that lake. I get such a kick out of seeing where that little island is.”